Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna (1637–1689) was an Italian nobleman of the Colonna family. He was the 8th Duke and Prince of Paliano and hereditary Grand

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

of the Kingdom of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. He was also a

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th century !Year of induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , 1467, , Founde ...

Biography

Colonna was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, the son of Marcantonio V Colonna,

Prince of Paliano The title Duke and Prince of Paliano is borne by the head of the elder line of the Colonna family. At times the honour has been borne by several members at once. The Princes also bear many other titles and honorifics. The Princes of Summonte ar ...

and Isabella Gioeni Cardona, Princess of Castiglione. He was the nephew of

Anna Colonna Anna Colonna (1601–1658) was an Italian nobility, Italian noblewoman of the Colonna family, Colonna and Barberini families. She was also the Princes of Paliano, Princess of Paliano. Early life Colonna was born in 1601 at Orsogna; the daughter ...

who married

Taddeo Barberini Taddeo Barberini (1603–1647) was an Italian nobleman of the House of Barberini who became Prince of Palestrina and Gonfalonier of the Church; commander of the Papal Army. He was a nephew of Pope Urban VIII and brother of Cardinals Francesc ...

, Prince of Palestrina. He was inducted into the ''Order of the Golden Fleece'' in the same year as his cousin,

Maffeo Barberini Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

. In 1661 he married

Maria Mancini Anna Maria "Marie" Mancini, Princess of Paliano (28 August 1639 – 8 May 1715) was the third of the five Mancini sisters, nieces to Cardinal Mazarin who were brought to France to marry advantageously. Along with two of their female Martinozzi ...

, a niece of

Cardinal Mazarin Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...

. She was the first love of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

whose desire to marry her caused his mother,

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...

, and Maria's uncle intense concern. The relationship between Maria and Louis was an idealistic one, and remained unconsummated. Colonna remarked after their wedding night that he was surprised to find her still a virgin, famously stating that had not expected to find "innocence among the loves of kings." He and his wife became great patrons of the arts, and exercised influence in the cultural and political spheres of Rome and Italy. Many artists such as

Nicolò Minato Count Nicolò Minato (b. Bergamo, ca. 1627; d. Vienna, 28 February 1698) was an Italian poet, librettist and impresario. His career can be divided into two parts: the years he spent at Venice, from 1650 to 1669, and the years at Vienna, from 1669 u ...

and

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverdi as the dominant and leading op ...

dedicated works to the Colonnas. Despite Colonna's prestigious French marriage, the Colonna family was generally aligned with Spanish interests in Italy. The family's rivals in Rome, the

Orsini Orsini is a surname of Italian origin, originally derived from Latin ''ursinus'' ("bearlike") and originating as an epithet or sobriquet describing the name-bearer's purported strength. Notable people with the surname include the following: * Aaro ...

and

Barberini The House of Barberini is a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban pal ...

were French partisans. After the birth of their third son, relations between Colonna and his wife deteriorated for multiple reasons, including his infidelities and her fears of further childbirth. On 29 May 1672, fearing that her husband would kill her, Mancini left

accompanied by her sister

Hortense Mancini Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin (6 June 1646 – 2 July 1699), was a niece of Cardinal Mazarin, chief minister of France, and a mistress of Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She was the fourth of the five famous Mancini ...

. She did not return to Italy until her husband's death in 1689. Between 1678 and 1681, Colonna was appointed

Viceroy of Aragon A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

, in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Issue

Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and Maria Mancini had three children: *

Filippo II Colonna Filippo II Colonna (7 April 1663 – 8 November 1714) was an Italian nobleman of prominent Colonna family. He was the 9th Duke and Prince of Paliano. Early life Born in Rome on 7 April 1663, Filippo was the son of Don Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna, ...

(1663-1714) * Marcantonio Colonna (1664-1715) * Cardinal Carlo Colonna (1665-1739) Colonna also had two children by the Countess Ortensia Stella whom he acknowledged in his will.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colonna, Lorenzo Onofrio 1637 births 1689 deaths Nobility from Rome

Lorenzo Lorenzo may refer to: People * Lorenzo (name) Places Peru * San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo United States * Lorenzo, Illinois * Lorenzo, Texas * San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo * Lorenzo State ...

17th-century Italian nobility Knights of the Golden Fleece Viceroys of Aragon